Topic: First Drive: 2013 Toyota Avalon

[Fobroader]

Capacitive touch switches operate like switches on a smart phone touch screen. Located under the grained panel surface on the centre switch panel, the innovative controls have been tuned to operate conveniently with a light touch, and can even be operated by hands with gloves or longer fingernails. The HVAC fan speed is operated by use of a responsive touch slide.

Well, that's it for the Avalon then. 

I know my dad whos in his late 50's would put his fist through the dash in the first 20 minutes 

[CanuckS2K]

Are my eyes deceiving me - or is this  Avalon  actually a pretty decent looking car?  That fast roofline is kinda fetching.  And they have played a VERY strong value hand when it comes to value, IMO.  I know this car is a favourite whipping post for the hang-it-out-sideways hardcore set, but I gotta say that overall it looks like a very compelling near-Lexus offering.  Nic job Toyota.

Totally agree Roger.  This new Avalon is a very good looking car inside and out.......and that's the first time I've ever said that about an Avalon.  At that price, it certainly appears to offer significant value.   

[CanuckS2K]

To Cord: Toyota invested significant effort into capacitive switches to make sure they don't end up like the failure that the GM/Ford version was. Better sensitivity, even with light gloves, and wider spacing to avoid pressing the wrong key.

Oh there's no doubt! Now that Toyota uses the technology, it's fantastic!

LOL, yup.   

I was able to use the touchscreen on the Edge just fine with my leather driving gloves on.......but it's a Ford so it automatically sucks.   

[Fobroader]

Are my eyes deceiving me - or is this  Avalon  actually a pretty decent looking car?  That fast roofline is kinda fetching.  And they have played a VERY strong value hand when it comes to value, IMO.  I know this car is a favourite whipping post for the hang-it-out-sideways hardcore set, but I gotta say that overall it looks like a very compelling near-Lexus offering.  Nic job Toyota.

Its not a bad looking car, I have to say, they did a good job on the restyle. I couldnt imagine owning one though, wrong wheel drive, suspension tuning aimed at pensioners and its still an Avalon, Id hate to have to say "no, I didnt borrow it from my grandfather, i actually own this...." every 5 minutes. Someone else brought this up too, has anyone seen a lot of these running around? Edmonton, Calgary.....not at all, maybe in the bigger cities??

[Jaeger]

^^^ I don't think the Avalon has ever been a big seller in Canada, but I see a whole bunch more of them in the States.  One of my buddies has one, and you can't shut him up about what a wonderful car it is.  Hard for car enthusiasts to imagine someone being that enthusiastic about a big softy like the Avalon - but we forget sometimes (most of the time?) that we are actually in the minority when it comes to what matters to the buying public.

[Fobroader]

^^^ I don't think the Avalon has ever been a big seller in Canada, but I see a whole bunch more of them in the States.  One of my buddies has one, and you can't shut him up about what a wonderful car it is.  Hard for car enthusiasts to imagine someone being that enthusiastic about a big softy like the Avalon - but we forget sometimes (most of the time?) that we are actually in the minority when it comes to what matters to the buying public.

My parents are the exact people you are talking about, my dad doesnt understand at all why my buddy bought a Supra, "what the hell does he need a race car for?!?!?" was what he said when he saw my buddies car the first time. I couldnt agree more that on a long, straight, flat roadtrip, Edmonton to Brandon, Manitoba for instance, where the road is so boring, a comfortable, highway cloud like this would be great.

[whaddaiknow]

Its not a bad looking car, I have to say, they did a good job on the restyle. I couldnt imagine owning one though, wrong wheel drive, suspension tuning aimed at pensioners and its still an Avalon, Id hate to have to say "no, I didnt borrow it from my grandfather, i actually own this...." every 5 minutes. Someone else brought this up too, has anyone seen a lot of these running around? Edmonton, Calgary.....not at all, maybe in the bigger cities??

I am past the period in my life where I worried about what others may say about my ride. I drive what works for me. You want to comment about my ride? I'll smile back at you since I don't really care about what you think and obviously you have no idea what else may be parked in my garage. MY friends would not throw a comment like that.

The reason you don't see many of them on the road TODAY is because the current outgoing iteration was actually designed with great-grandpa's in mind. Toyota realizes that and is trying to attract a younger (40-60 y.o) audience. And if you're so closed minded to see the difference and focus solely on what others will think about you, the car is obviously not for you.

You need a monster sized truck, so everyone notices your presence and comments about it. That boosts your ego I guess. I'll leave it at that. 

[Fobroader]

Its not a bad looking car, I have to say, they did a good job on the restyle. I couldnt imagine owning one though, wrong wheel drive, suspension tuning aimed at pensioners and its still an Avalon, Id hate to have to say "no, I didnt borrow it from my grandfather, i actually own this...." every 5 minutes. Someone else brought this up too, has anyone seen a lot of these running around? Edmonton, Calgary.....not at all, maybe in the bigger cities??

I am past the period in my life where I worried about what others may say about my ride. I drive what works for me. You want to comment about my ride? I'll smile back at you since I don't really care about what you think and obviously you have no idea what else may be parked in my garage. MY friends would not throw a comment like that.

The reason you don't see many of them on the road TODAY is because the current outgoing iteration was actually designed with great-grandpa's in mind. Toyota realizes that and is trying to attract a younger (40-60 y.o) audience. And if you're so closed minded to see the difference and focus solely on what others will think about you, the car is obviously not for you.

You need a monster sized truck, so everyone notices your presence and comments about it. That boosts your ego I guess. I'll leave it at that. 

I dont own a monster truck, I own a truck, and I dont care what people think about it, around here a quad cab pickup is actually quite normal. Youre freinds sound like pretty boring people who dont really like you, if you cant break your buddies balls about buying an Avalon, then why be freinds?? 

[5 Wheel Drive]

Are my eyes deceiving me - or is this  Avalon  actually a pretty decent looking car?  That fast roofline is kinda fetching.  And they have played a VERY strong value hand when it comes to value, IMO.  I know this car is a favourite whipping post for the hang-it-out-sideways hardcore set, but I gotta say that overall it looks like a very compelling near-Lexus offering.  Nic job Toyota.

I was thinking the same thing.  It even looks Audi A7-ish in profile, which isn't a bad thing.  Going on looks alone, I think I'd pick this over an ES.

[whaddaiknow]

I was thinking the same thing.  It even looks Audi A7-ish in profile, which isn't a bad thing.  Going on looks alone, I think I'd pick this over an ES.

Me too. It looks different but not worse. Even cleaner if you will and more cohesive. The spindle and relatively wide headlights are killing it for me in the ES.
The interior is completely different and would be purely a matter of personal taste with a slight edge to the ES due to craftsmanship.
ES is hugely popular, so I can't see why this iteration of Avalon can't be either.

[dragonfly]

 Finally...a good looking Toyota.. I agree with the posters just previous...I prefer this to the Lexus..Thanks  jack

[Ace]

Very impressive automobile, if Toyota ever decides to add a 5-door hatchback set up like the Audi A7 I would be all over it.
By the way, how big is the trunk and do the back seats fold down? I'm getting old enough to start thinking about Florida and golf clubs in winter.

[ArticSteve]

Toyota has reinvented the Avalon for 2013, but it remains as strong a luxury-car value as ever.

Read More...

Thanks for the review! At $36k, it sounds like excellent value.
Too bad Toyota decided not to bring the hybrid over to Canada. If they offered it at a $40k mark, it would be my choice.

37K USD freight in, gets you an Avalon Hybrid XLE with roof/heated seats.  Warranty valid in Canada.  Wait till next summer and pick up a used one.  There is no excuse now.   Buy your USD soon. 

[ArticSteve]

With the trend for lower prices I'm surprised that Toyota did not apply a price reduction to the Avalon. In the Toyota world anything non hybrid should be considered old technology and priced accordingly.

It's not Toyota, it's Toyota Canada.  Everyone makes this error though.  Toyota Canada has always chosen to pick the pockets of Avalon buyers.  Hence you don't see that many.

[whaddaiknow]

Toyota has reinvented the Avalon for 2013, but it remains as strong a luxury-car value as ever.

Read More...

Thanks for the review! At $36k, it sounds like excellent value.
Too bad Toyota decided not to bring the hybrid over to Canada. If they offered it at a $40k mark, it would be my choice.

37K USD freight in, gets you an Avalon Hybrid XLE with roof/heated seats.  Warranty valid in Canada.  Wait till next summer and pick up a used one.  There is no excuse now.   Buy your USD soon. 

Might be a good idea. Getting a demo at ~$30K would be sweet. The bummer would be if Toyota decides not to bring the hybrid to Canada at all then any repairs (warranty or past) would take much much longer if the parts must be sourced from the US. OTOH, since it's the same identical drivetrain as found in both Camry and ES, the parts shouldn't be a problem.

A couple of friends of mine imported low mileage Toyotas from down south and both reported that parts had to be ordered from the US if the car is under warranty So I dunno

[Mike]

Just saw one at Toyota Headquarters and it looks even better in the flesh. 

[ArticSteve]

A couple of friends of mine imported low mileage Toyotas from down south and both reported that parts had to be ordered from the US if the car is under warranty So I dunno

That's false unless the part didn't exist in Canada obviously. 

Canadian dealer submits pre approved invoice to Toyota Canada and they hash it out with Toyota Motor USA.  However, the agreement is not reciprocal.     

[whaddaiknow]

To Cord: Toyota invested significant effort into capacitive switches to make sure they don't end up like the failure that the GM/Ford version was. Better sensitivity, even with light gloves, and wider spacing to avoid pressing the wrong key.

Oh there's no doubt! Now that Toyota uses the technology, it's fantastic!

I'm glad to see you're finally figuring it out.

BTW, as it turns out, the dash as well as the entire enterior was designed by a Burlington, Ontario born Benjamin Jimenez. So, yes I do believe that a Canadian did a better job than an American. Kudos to Toyota for attracting real talent.
And whether it matters or not, the Avalon will have ~90% domestic content which is higher than the "domestic" brands who outsource some critical components.

To an Albertan, Ontario born might as well be as good as Japanese, though...